Aggie Football Top 100: Ranking Nos. 100 to 91

There was the Haskell Hurricane. There were the Blitz Brothers. There was Tank. Actually, there were two tanks.

There was DaMonster, Stonewall, Johnny Football and an array of Junction Boys.

In more than a century of college football, Texas A&M has produced hundreds of great — sometimes legendary — football players.

But who are the 100 best?

A TexAgs panel that includes coaches, former players, A&M football historians and media members were tasked with compiling the list of A&M’s 100 greatest players and ranking them in order. The Top 100 will be revealed in groups of 10 over the next two weeks.

Today we reveal 100 to 91.

100. Glenn Bujnoch, 1973-75, OT (123): Bujnoch was named All-Southwest Conference in 1974 and ’75. He played a significant role on A&M’s ’75 team that finished 10-2. He was a second-round selection of the Cincinnati Bengals and played eight seasons in the NFL.

T-98. Martellus Bennett, 2005-07, TE (130): A big, athletic tight end, Bennett was a Mackey Award semifinalist as a sophomore and received All-Big 12 recognition in 2006. He led the Aggies in receiving in 2007. Bennett completed his A&M career with 105 catches for 1,246 yards and 10 touchdowns; he has the most career catches by an A&M tight end.

A second-round selection of the Dallas Cowboys, Bennett is entering his eighth season in the NFL as a member of the Chicago Bears.

T-98. Rod Harris, 1985-88, WR (130): Even though A&M favored a run-oriented offense during his career, Harris earned All-Southwest Conference acclaim in 1987. He led the Aggies in receiving yards in ’87 and ’88. He finished his career with 87 catches for 1,395 yards. Harris was a fourth-round selection of the New Orleans Saints; he played four years in the NFL and seven in the Canadian Football League.

97. Reggie Brown, 1992-95, LB (136):  A native of Austin, Brown was a productive, though often overlooked, figure on a defense that ranked third in the nation in 1995. He was named All-Southwest Conference in 1995. Brown was a first-round draft choice of the Detroit Lions, but his NFL career was cut short by an injury to his spinal cord.

96. Albert Connell, 1995-96, WR (139): A junior college transfer, Connell made an immediate impact in 1995. In his first season he led the Aggies with 41 receptions for 653 yards to earn All-Southwest Conference honors. The next season he was named All-Big 12 when he set a then-school record with 872 receiving yards on 57 catches. He finished with 98 career receptions for 1,525 yards. He was a fourth-round draft choice of the Washington Redskins. He played four seasons in the NFL and two in the CFL.

95. Jeff Fuller, 2008-2011, WR (143): An A&M legacy, Fuller left a pretty good legacy of his own. An All-Big 12 selection in 2010, he remains second on A&M’s career receiving list with 233 catches and 3,092 receiving yards. He also holds the school record with 34 career touchdown catches. He’s currently on the roster of Calgary of the CFL.

94. Jimmy Thomason, 1938-40, RB (147): A hard-runner and strong blocker, the Brownwood native was a key member of A&M’s 1939 national championship team. He earned All-Southwest Conference acclaim in 1939 and 1940. The Detroit Lions made him the fifth player selected in the 1941 NFL Draft. He’s a member of Texas A&M’s athletic Hall of Fame.

93. Johnny Hector, 1979-82, RB (159): A product of New Iberia, La., Hector rushed for 2,587 yards and 20 touchdowns in his career. He averaged 5.4 yards per carry while rushing for more than 900 yards in 1980. His rushing total remains 11th on A&M’s all-time list. Hector was a second round draft choice of the New York Jets. He played 10 seasons in the NFL.

92. Edgar Fields, 1974-76, DT (164): The Aggies ranked no lower than fourth in the nation in total defense from 1974-76 and Fields was a significant contributor to that success. He was a two-time All-Southwest Conference selection while helping the Aggies to a 28-7 record in the three seasons he lettered. He was chosen by Atlanta in the third round of the 1977 NFL Draft and played five seasons in the NFL.

91. Steve McKinney, 1994-97, G (165): Rugged and intimidating, McKinney started his A&M career as a defensive end, but moved to offense during his sophomore year. He started the final 32 games of his career at left guard and twice earned All-Big 12 honors. He was chosen by Indianapolis in the fourth round of the 1998 NFL Draft and played 11 NFL seasons.
 

About the rankings

Panelists  include: Jackie Sherrill, Jimmy Wright, Dave Elmendorf, Dennis Goehring, Hugh McElroy, Rusty Burson, Mike Henderson, Tom Turbiville, Brad Marquardt, Bob Spoede, Chip Howard, David Sandhop, Gabe Bock and Olin Buchanan. Rankings were compiled by a points list in which 100 points were awarded first place, 99 for second place, etc. After a 13-vote total was accumulated, the point values of the highest and lowest votes were eliminated to determine a final point score. Each individual’s final point score is in parentheses.